It only took one preseason game for Devin Carter to prove he absolutely deserved the Boston Celtics' last two-way spot. More than that though, he proved that he actually could bring something valuable to the team, as his playmaking, energy, and defense was impressive enough that it wasn't out of the question that he could factor into their rotation.
Sadly, even after he made the team, Carter has been hospitalized with mononucleosis, which won't keep him out for too long, hopefully. Sadly, though, it's just a shame that, besides making the team, he chose the Celtics, and they wanted him because they believed it would be a good fit. Neither side was wrong, but we won't get to see that for some time,
It's a shame because, despite the appearance of a reliable jumper, Carter has the makings of a Mazzulla Ball prodigy (strictly speaking) because of his ability to force turnovers and get offensive rebounds despite being smaller than most players.
He also flashed a bit of playmaking while playing with Boston that could come in very handy down the line when the Celtics will need more of that in specific matchups.
Here's to hoping this is the only hiccup
Carter will hopefully get his chance to shine once he's fully healthy. It may be hard for him to assert himself because the Celtics' roster is quite deep, but Ron Harper Jr. was patient, and look what happened once Boston gave him a chance.
What really makes this situation so frustrating is the fact that, like Brad Stevens, Joe Mazzulla likes to experiment. He likes to see what lineups work and which don't. We saw that on Opening Day when he played 11 guys. As much as the loss hurt, this is what he does.
Anyway, what makes it a shame is that this would be Carter's golden chance to prove just how right Boston was about him. His lone preseason performance showed enough that, at some point, he deserves a night to showcase what he can do. Sadly, because of mono, he won't get that chance for some time.
There's no telling how confident Mazzulla will be with his lineups by the time Carter gets back to the floor. We also have to remember Mazzulla and the Celtics had to mix and match even more last season when they realized Jayson Tatum was coming back earlier than expected, and it got more chaotic when Nikola Vucevic got hurt the night Tatum returned.
This is good chaos to have, but it's a shame that badly-timed circumstances made it so.
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